1
as in to commence
to take the first step in (a process or course of action)
she began walking to work for exercise
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to start
to come into existence
the storm began late in the day and lasted all night
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to establish
to be responsible for the creation and early operation or use of
the religious sect was begun by a small breakaway faction
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of begin
Kevin Griess, the superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks for the Park Service, said during the hearing there was no plan to begin such work Monday but added that a safety assessment was underway.
—
Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2026
Filming began in early May and will run through the end of July across Paris, the Île-de-France region, Val d’Oise and Normandy, with château locations and meticulous period production design.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 4 May 2026
The drama around it Ends With Us began way back in the summer of 2024, during the lead up to the film’s release.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 4 May 2026
Play begins on May 24 at Roland Garros.
—Samuel Petrequin, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for begin
Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2026
Filming began in early May and will run through the end of July across Paris, the Île-de-France region, Val d’Oise and Normandy, with château locations and meticulous period production design.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 4 May 2026
The drama around it Ends With Us began way back in the summer of 2024, during the lead up to the film’s release.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 4 May 2026
Play begins on May 24 at Roland Garros.
—Samuel Petrequin, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for begin
Recent Examples of Synonyms for begin
Verb
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Since the season commenced in Australia in March, the F1 WAGs have made their presence known as they've been seen alongside their partners in the paddock and cheering from the stands during races.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
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Earlier this year, the company announced a publishing administration partnership with 16-time Grammy Award-winner — and Variety’s Hitmakers 2025 songwriter of the year — Bruno Mars, commencing upon the completion of his current deal with BMG/Warner Chappell.—
Andrew Flanagan,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Carolyn Hax started her Washington Post advice column in 1997, after five years on the Style desk and none as a therapist.—
Carolyn Hax,
Washington Post,
15 May 2026
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Musk left OpenAI’s board in 2018, and five years later started xAI as a competitor, before merging that business with SpaceX in February.—
Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
2 May 2026
Verb
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The idea was then taken up by other Scottish scholars, including James Frazer, whose widely read compendium The Golden Bough (1890) attempted to establish cross-cultural parallels in mythology.—
Glenn Adamson,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
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Located right alongside its Sunset Strip neighbor Book Soup, Mystery Pier was established by character actor Harvey Jason and his son Louis, who continue to run the store together.—
Marc Weingarten,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
Verb
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People drove up and opened trunks to reveal boxes and shopping bags full of ancient yellowed papers.—
Mary Norris,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
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Later, Mercury in Aries aligns with Chiron, opening the door for honest conversations that can repair something important.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
Verb
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To ensure the fairness and credibility of our readers’ poll, any votes originating from the same IP address that exceed 20 submissions will be excluded from the final tally.—
Aegis Staff,
Baltimore Sun,
28 Apr. 2026
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The ticket also includes lounge access and — for flights originating in Paris and six other cities in France — transportation to the airport in a premium vehicle.—
Beth Landman,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And yet dealmaking, the act that initiates the entire relationship, operates in a kind of contractual no-man’s-land where no clock runs and no consequence attaches to delay.—
George Heller,
HollywoodReporter,
6 May 2026
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Chinese state media proactively publicized the visit late Tuesday, citing a foreign ministry statement that noted Beijing initiated the invitation.—
Evelyn Cheng,Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Such heavy loads of dust are generally thought to arise much later in cosmic history than circa 400 million years after the big bang, the epoch at which this newfound galaxy appears.—
Jenna Ahart,
Scientific American,
30 Apr. 2026
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Working with predominantly Latino families, Barba said the nine-week intervention, which usually consists of six to 10 community members, became a way to help people deal with fear arising from the immigration enforcement activities happening in Lake County as well as throughout the Chicago area.—
Steve Sadin,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Chicago Defender newspaper was founded.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
5 May 2026
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It was founded in 1998 by Germaine Acogny, who is widely regarded as the mother of African contemporary dance.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Begin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/begin. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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